Tuesday, March 10, 2009

All the news that's fit to print...

...about ski jumping anyway.
I have put off and put off posting about all the news in the world of ski jumping (including the worlds--world championships that is) because I kept hoping--hoping--that my laptop would come back to me all fixed and I could finally upload all those pics I took of my adventures in ski jumping in Vermont. But five weeks have passed and resignation has set in--hard, harder than a jumper missing the landing.
So here it is. The skinny of what's been going on in ski jumping.
The first ever Women's World Championships were held last month and American Lindsey Van (not to be confused--as I have been from time to time--with American downhiller Lindsey Vonn) won the event held in the Czech Republic. Van said the women's performances at this first world championships proves they deserve to be in Sochi in 2014 (interesting that she didn't say Vancouver next year, no?). Also worth noting is that Van holds the record on the normal hill in Salt Lake City (the one that was used in the 2004 Games) for both men and women.
It's especially interesting that after her win Van only referenced Sochi given that this article says she is all about getting into the games next year because by 2014 the current 24-year old says she will be too old. She certainly would be among the older participants given that 9 of the 31 starters in this year's worlds were under 15. Van is part of the ongoing lawsuit.
Regarding the lawsuit, five more jumpers have joined the original 10. All are Canadians which should help with the issue of standing (or whatever the Canadian equivalent is of standing) because no current Canadian jumpers had been involved in the lawsuit until this point.
This editorial speaks more to this recent event and reminds us that the trial is scheduled for April 20.

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